Australians to face five-year jail or hefty fine if they return home from India
Melbourne, May 1: Threatening a five-year jail term or hefty fine, the Australian government temporarily barred its citizens from entering the country if they happened to be in India within 14 days of their intended arrival.
The decision was announced after a meeting of the National Cabinet on Friday and will come into force from Monday.
The move aims at keeping the coronavirus spread in check in Australia as India is facing a surge in infections cases.
The decision was based on the proportion of overseas travellers in quarantine in Australia, who have contracted the infection in India, according to Health Minister Greg hunt.
Failure to comply with an emergency determination under the Biosecurity Act, 2015 may incur a civil penalty of 300 penalty units, five years' imprisonment or both, an official statement from the ministry said.
The decision will be revised on May 15 following advice from the chief medical officer (CMO).
The CMO will consider the epidemiology in India and likely impacts on Australia's quarantine capacity, and provide a further expert assessment of the public health risk to Australia to inform a proportionate response, it said.
The ministry statement said it is important that the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine system are protected and the number of COVID-19 cases in isolation facilities is reduced to a manageable level.
The statement also expressed solidarity with India, saying, Our hearts go out to the people of India and our Indian-Australian community. The friends and family of those in Australia are in extreme risk.
Australia will also provide to India emergency medical supplies, including over 1,000 non-invasive ventilators.
Apart from that, it has offered to supply a significant number of personal protective equipment (PPE), one million surgical masks, 100,000 surgical gowns, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves and 20,000 face shields.
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'Will return to Lok Sabha if alive,' says Brij Bhushan Singh, alleges conspiracy behind ouster
Gonda (PTI): Former Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Wednesday alleged that he was removed from the Lok Sabha not by the people but through a conspiracy, and vowed to return to the lower house once more in his life.
Speaking in a news channel podcast, the BJP strongman said his term was cut short, and he was "humiliated and forced out."
"If I am alive, I will definitely go to the Lok Sabha once again… I will try to contest on a BJP ticket. If the party does not give a ticket, I will contest as an Independent candidate. But if I am alive, I will contest," he asserted.
He said it hurt him that he was not invited to the second year of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, even though he is a public representative.
The politician said he declined another invitation on grounds of self-respect, alleging that the original 'karsevaks' of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement were ignored while those without contribution were invited.
He said he has not yet visited Ram Lalla, and when he does, he will stand in the queue like a common man.
Recalling the period when allegations of sexual harassment were levelled against him, Singh said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav did not make any statement against him at the time, a gesture he said he would never forget.
He said leaders from the BSP, JD(U), and RJD also refrained from making statements against him then.
On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Singh said he feels pained when questions are raised on the army and Sanatan Dharma. He alleged that Gandhi's advisors have a Leftist mindset, due to which such issues are raised that are "liked in Pakistan."
Singh, who represented three parliamentary constituencies of the Devipatan division six times, was replaced by the BJP in the 2024 general election following allegations against him by several female wrestlers.
His son Karan Bhushan Singh was fielded from Kaiserganj and currently represents the seat.
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